Johnny Sexton insists he doesn’t ‘milk it’ over late tackles

Jonathan Sexton wasn’t in the mood to give much away.

Though he was down to speak to the media for the rebranding of the Irish Rugby Union Players Association as Rugby Players Ireland, the PR people let it be known that he’d rather concentrate on related matters rather than Leinster’s game this weekend.

This sort of handcuffing does no one on either side of the table any favours but small talk about a Guinness PRO12 game, even an interpro in Galway, was always going to be an afterthought when the rare opportunity of a conversation with Ireland’s out-half presented itself.

So he was asked about player welfare instead. His own, specifically.

Sexton’s wellbeing has been the focus of considerable concern this season. Hamstring, calf, and shoulder issues have all restricted his time for club and country but queries about the AC joint that affected him in his three starts during the Six Nations were dealt with curtly.

“It’s good,” he said. “Good, thanks.”

Back training fully? “Yeah, yeah.”

Sexton must be sick of the attention but his own head coach at Leinster, Leo Cullen, extended the debate by suggesting after the Champions Cup quarter-final defeat of Wasps that his 10 could do with some extra protection from the referees.

“A lot of those tackles are probably borderline,” said the out-half when asked if some of the hits landed on him of late have been punished enough by match officials.

“In the referee’s eyes, they were committed. You’ve got to trust that the refs will keep an eye on them.

“There will be times you will stay down to make sure that they have a look. To suggest that you’re staying down to, I dunno, milk it, or whatever, isn’t the case. Anyone who has had a stinger knows what it feels like and you just need a little break to get over it.”

‘Milk it’ is an emotive phrase.

Scotland’s Peter Horne used it in the 2016 Six Nations when addressing referee Pascal Gauzere after Sexton had been hit hard by Alex Dunbar.

The centre was sin-binned for that but British journalist Stephen Jones touched on that theme after the recent defeat of England in Dublin.

“The more he stays down the more he will be targeted and it will be merciless in New Zealand,” Jones wrote in the Sunday Times. “Potentially a great player, often struggles.”

Brian O’Driscoll took exception to that and the general theory has been brought to Sexton’s attention.

“If you stay down, it is because you’re hurt, as anyone who has had those injuries knows.”

His absences have allowed Paddy Jackson, Joey Carbery, and Ross Byrne to make significant strides in big games but Sexton remains a class above all potential rivals for the blue and green shirts, not just because of his talents on the field, but his input off it as well.

It’s 12 months since he claimed that the culture at Leinster had dipped from the levels of the three-time Heineken Cup-winning side of which he had been a part. If a reaction was what he sought at the time then he has certainly got it.

“It’s worlds apart,” he said. “We’ve got some key people in that have made a huge difference. Not having the World Cup, not having four months... introducing yourself to the guys the first week of the Champions Cup, trying to get combinations going is one factor.

“Not having anything put in place over the summer as a group, that is another factor. We’ve added in the calibre of player of Robbie (Henshaw), some of the younger players coming through with their attitude. It’s been brilliant. Stuart (Lancaster) has made a brilliant difference as well.

“We had Graham Henry in over the summer who had a huge impact in just two weeks. He helped us along the way as well. Like I said, it’s worlds apart and hopefully… we got what we deserved last year and hopefully we can get what we deserve this year.”

The arrival of Lancaster has been one of the chief catalysts. Sexton credited the former England coach for his input on the mental side of things and the senior coach has been fortunate to pitch up at a time when the club is awash with so much potential.

Sexton was part of a clutch of academy graduates that included Rob Kearney, Luke Fitzgerald, Cian Healy, Fergus McFadden, and Devin Toner, all of whom came through within a few years of each other in and around a decade ago.

The influx of the latest wave has had a transformative effect, he believes.

“I thought at the start of the year we looked really thin on the ground with backs when Luke retired and Ben Te’o left and (Eoin Reddan) retired,” said Sexton.

“I was thinking: ‘Jesus, we’re in a bit of trouble here’. Rory O’Loughlin, Adam Byrne, Tom Daly, Joey Carbery just sort of came on and maybe it’s just that they got their chance.

“Maybe we could throw the young guys in a bit more, I’m not sure. But we badly needed it and thankfully they came through like they did. Ross (Byrne) obviously as well, and Luke McGrath, and that’s only the backs I’m talking about. So it’s been great.”